1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to the field of data communication networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel system and method for communicating frames of management information in a multi-station network.
2. Discussion of Related Art
It is generally known that interfaces (e.g., switches, concentrators, and the like) may be used in a communication network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like, to link client devices (e.g., desk-top computers) to one another and/or to a network server. Some of these interfaces also may be used to link client devices to other networks. The typical interface has multiple ports. Each port may be connected to a network interface card (NIC) of a respective client device. Inside the interface, each port typically has a respective interface module that controls the transmission of signals or information between a respective one of the client devices and other interface modules in the interface.
Such interface modules usually operate according to a well-know standard or protocol, an example of which is the fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) standard for token-ring communications. In the typical FDDI-based interface, each port is provided with a respective media access control (MAC) interface module. The functions carried out by the FDDI-based interface and its various MAC interface modules are typically managed pursuant to a well-known station management (SMT) protocol. As part of this SMT protocol, frames of management information are transmitted among an SMT module and the various interface modules.
Each MAC interface module typically is provided with its own processor and its own buffer. This arrangement, however, tends to be expensive. The cost of each processor may contribute significantly to the overall price of the interface. In addition, the size of the interface tends to increase with each additional processor. If the interface is provided in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, the use of so many processors can make it difficult or impractical to provide the interface in a sufficiently compact chip or combination of chips.
While some interfaces have been developed so as to include a processor that is shared by multiple interface modules, the resulting interfaces typically include large buffers. This feature, in turn, makes the overall interface incompatible with, or otherwise impractical to implement using, some low-volume chip technologies.
While it has been known to provide 4 or 8 MAC interface modules on a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the cost of the processors used by each such interface module typically makes the resulting interface too expensive. Other difficulties are presented by the size of each interface module's buffer.
There is consequently a need in the art for a more practical and economical method and system for communicating frames of management information. This need extends to a system and method that is compatible with ASIC chip technology.